The Government has announced that schools in some of the least fairly funded local areas in the country will benefit from a £390 million cash boost in the biggest step towards fairer schools funding in a decade. The schools budget in Buckinghamshire will increase by £18m. Schools in Wycombe should see their per pupil funding increase by £264. There has long been an unfairness in the funding system which meant that local schools were not receiving the funding they deserved. This […]

At the beginning of July, Cressex Community School underwent an Ofsted inspection. The School was previously graded as ‘requiring improvement’ in October 2012, so I am delighted that the result was ‘good’. The report states that “the improvement in students’ achievement is a direct result of the school’s drive to improve learning and teaching. Teaching is good and improving. Teachers have high expectations and are ambitious for students’ achievement.” I want to congratulate all at Cressex Community School for this […]

A number of recommendations have been made by a Buckingham County Council select committee to help narrow the achievement gap for disadvantaged children. The Education, Skills and Children’s Services Select Committee, have produced a report after reviewing what is being done across Buckinghamshire to help narrow the gap in attainment between disadvantaged children and their peers. Their report and recommendations will be discussed at the Council’s Cabinet on 24 March. Although Buckinghamshire has some of the best schools in the country […]

The Government has announced an extra £2.35 billion to create more school places. This is in addition to the £5 billion that is already being spent in this Parliament. This means that between 2014 and 2017 schools in Buckinghamshire will receive £16.2m. It is the first time that councils have had 3-year allocations of funding to spend on school places, so Bucks County Council can plan ahead and ensure every child has a school place. This Government has already created […]

After the debate on Co-operatives in Education that I called last month, I have been made aware of Resolute Education Co-operative Ltd (RECOOP). It provides four key services for schools: Emergency cover when a teacher is absent Cover for planned teacher absences Placement of Instructors Recruitment of full time teachers and instructors RECOOP offers low fees and savings for many schools in the region of thousands of pounds, while teaching members receive equitable pay for their services. It is a […]

The Telegraph today reports a conversation I had with their political editor James Kirkup about the potential for co-operative free schools to create the incentives and opportunities to drive up standards for the most disadvantaged: Parents would be allowed to make a profit by running State-funded schools under plans being drawn up for the Conservative manifesto. Groups of parents would form “co-operatives” to run a free school and then be able to pay themselves dividends if the school did not […]

For the Telegraph, Fraser Nelson asks, Will Michael Gove’s schools revolution be just another false start? He sets out a crucial problem in education: David Cameron’s problem is not that Michael Gove might be run over by a bus. His problem is, this weekend, that quite a few mothers wouldn’t mind if he were. By the time tomorrow’s post is opened another 50,000 female voters will have good reason to curse the Education Secretary. The last of the primary school admissions letters will […]

John Hampden Grammar School has been awarded a grant of £44,800 by the Heritage Lottery Fund for a student-led project on the history of the school and its role in providing education in High Wycombe since 1893. My researcher, Tim Hewish, is a former pupil of the school and is especially looking forward to seeing the final result. In the Palace of Westminster, on the right as you enter Central Lobby from Westminster Hall, there is a statue of John Hampden […]

The first in a series illustrating how the EU spends your money in its own interests. Today, The Comenius Programme: Comenius: Europe in the classroom The Comenius Programme focuses on all levels of school education, from pre-school and primary to secondary schools. It is relevant for everyone involved in school education: mainly pupils and teachers but also local authorities, representatives of parents’ associations, non-government organisations, teacher training institutes and universities. Part of the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme, the Comenius actions […]